


Days in a Year

by Melanie_March



Category: Prince of Stride: Alternative (Anime)
Genre: (Probable) Infringement w/Canon, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Major Platonic Pining, Minor Romance, More tags to be added, OOC Actions/Words, Unfiltered Sass, Unfiltered Snark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 14:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6082302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melanie_March/pseuds/Melanie_March
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At first, they tried to stay friends. When the pressure from their peers became too much, they tried to make it a secret. But the guilt weighed down and the walls closed in, and before Heath knew it, he and Kyosuke weren't speaking at all. </p><p>When your entire world shatters in a single moment, sometimes it's hard to blame anyone but yourself. Who knew that such a noble sacrifice lead to such terrible heartache?</p><p>ON HIATUS TILL FURTHER NOTICE</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Misdirection

Before he even picked up the phone, Hozumi knew what Heath was going to ask. _“How’s the team, Hozumi?”_ Greetings didn’t matter. Formalities weren’t needed. They wouldn’t buy much time in the case of avoiding the subject at hand, anyway.

“They’re… fine. We lost another two members today, but I’m sure that you and me and Tomoe will keep Honan Stride alive.” Hozumi blinked back tears and took a deep breath, as if it would keep his voice from shaking.

A sigh came from the other end of the line. _“Stride is over for Honan, huh?”_ Heath chuckled, but there was no humor in his voice as he went on. _“It’s funny how one event can acutely cripple an entire life’s worth of plans.”_

“Heath-kun, that’s not what I--”

 _“Tomoe came to visit me in the hospital today.”_ The words caused Hozumi to go rigid, but he still put on a smile and tried to reply optimistically.

“O-oh? Did he bring you a card?” He asked. Dread settled in his stomach. A card was not the reason Tomoe had visited Heath, his mind told him.

 _“If cards come in the shape of resignation letters, then yes.”_ Bit out the other male. For a split second, Hozumi was allowed to see the anger nestled behind the broken defeat. Just a second, and then it was gone. _“There’s nothing more we can do.”_

“Don’t say that!” Hozumi snapped. The tears weren’t as easy to catch now, as they rolled down his cheeks. “Don’t say that… you’ll get better, Heath-kun… we’ll find new members… even though Kyosuke betrayed us, we can still… still--”

 _“Hozumi. I’m sorry, but this… this is something that doesn’t go away like losing a match. We can’t just pretend it didn’t happen. We can’t just move on. In the case of Stride Club, well… I feel as though now is the best time to face reality.”_ How dare Heath speak like that, after everything that had happened!

“Aren’t you even the least bit angry?!” Hozumi shouted into the receiver, though his own anger was drowned out quite a bit by the sobs that threatened to take over his speech completely. “You’re in the hospital! Tomoe abandoned us! Stride Club is falling apart and it’s all because of that… that… bastard!”

_“Hozumi… I know you don’t understand. I know that you’re angry and confused. But please trust me when I tell you that you can’t be so hard on Kyosuke.”_

“Why?! Why can’t I?!”

_“Hozumi.”_

“Heath-kun!”

Silence ensued between the two of them as the tension of the conversation took the time to dissipate again. Finally, Hozumi collected himself and spoke. “I… I’m in shock. I don’t want Stride to fall apart. I can’t believe that Kyosuke would-- I mean… he was such a kind and understanding person! But… when he looked at me… at us… his eyes were no more than that of a beast’s. He… he ruined Stride.”

Heath remained quiet, but his breathing hitched slightly when Hozumi compared his closest friend to a wicked creature. Hozumi couldn’t stop, despite knowing that he hadn’t been as close to Kyosuke as Heath had been. “I hate him. I can’t understand why he’d do it and I hate him for it. For hurting you.”

 _“Kyosuke didn’t--”_ Here, Heath paused. He had sounded like he was about to fervently protest, but instead, he laughed, took a shuddering breath, and finished with _“He didn’t think about it. Didn’t pause. Just… did it. I wasn’t expecting it, either.”_

“Why are you laughing?” Hozumi asked.

_“I just… I’m thinking about something ironic.”_

“What’s that?”

_“Through all of this, and the documents; the various hospital visits and just EVERYTHING… no one bothered to ask me what happened.”_

Hozumi’s eyes widened, and then he was speaking rather angrily into the phone again. “We all know what happened, Heath-kun! We wouldn’t make you relive it all like that!”

Another silence ensued, and Hozumi was almost about to ask if Heath was okay when he said _“Yeah… I know.”_

And for once since the conversation had started, Hozumi didn’t know how to respond.


	2. Pain Begets Pity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heath is spiraling downwards, and he can't seem to make it stop.

**Chapter One: Pain Begets Pity**

**THREE WEEKS POST-INCIDENT**

 

“Heath! Kuga-san is on the phone for you!” Hobbling down the stairs, Heath collected his crutches and made his way into the kitchen.

“Honestly… if my cell phone hadn’t broken, this would all be so much easier.” He muttered, taking the phone from his mother’s outstretched hand. “Thanks… hey, Kyosuke.”

Heath had to turn away from his mother; her look of disappointment at his wish to take the call could not be easily blocked out when he faced her. _“I hope you are well.”_ Kyosuke greeted.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s healing pretty fast. I’m already on crutches and I’m okay to start classes tomorrow.” Eventually, the eyes burning a hole in his back became too much, and Heath found it better to return to the hallway and settle on the stairs. “How are you doing?”

_“Dan-sensei gave me a rather splendid scolding. Needless to say, it was best that I quit when I did. It seems I’ve become a well-known enemy of Honan Stride.”_ Kyosuke chuckled. _“It’s better this way.”_

“Come on, don’t say that. You know it’s not true.” Heath smiled sadly, switching ears.

“ _In this case, it has to be. I would rather salvage the club-- or preserve what’s left-- than let the fault of our senpai be known for generations out._ ” Heath bit back what he wanted to say: that he didn’t care about the next generations. That he didn’t think it was the least bit fair that Kyosuke was taking the fall for something like this… that if he hadn’t hurt his foot--

“ _Heath, don’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t help._ ” Kyosuke’s voice brought him out of his self-loathing. “ _The Relationer would have wanted you to think that way, but letting the words of someone who is a sorry excuse for a human being affect you will only lead to worse things than a physical injury. Besides… it’s “my fault”, isn’t it?”_

“That doesn’t help, Kyosuke.” Heath growled.

_“It’s not supposed to.”_ Kyosuke replied. _“Your mother is probably worried about you being on the phone with me. You should go.”_

“When are you coming back to school?” There was a pause. Heath worried Kyosuke might deliver more grim news-- perhaps he was dropping out?

_“A few more days. I’m going to take a little more time off to give the rumors a chance to cool.”_

“... You have to promise to come back.”

_“Heath…”_ He was undeterred by the warning in Kyosuke’s tone.

“I don’t care how childish it seems, Kyosuke. I’m not hanging up until you promise.”

_“And if I were to hang up on you?”_ There was the faintest hint of a smile in the words, and Heath huffed out a sigh.

“You won’t do that.” He shrugged.

_“No… but I should. It would make you less resilient.”_ Ah, Kyosuke was laughing. That was good, wasn’t it? Another silence, then _“I promise.”_

“If you break it, I’ll swing my crutches at you.”

_“You’d miss.”_

“Ah, geez! Not everything has to have a response! I’ll talk to you later.” Heath smirked and hung up, shaking his head. “What an idiot.” He mumbled, though he couldn’t stop smiling.

As he returned to the kitchen to hang up the phone, Heath could feel his mother’s eyes on him again. Finally, he couldn’t take it, and he turned around, facing her properly. “Alright, say what you need to.” He prompted.

“I don’t like the fact that you’re still associating with Stride… especially not while you’re recovering.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Quit that club, Heath… do something that isn’t so reckless. I want to see my son grow older, after all.”

Heath smiled sadly and glanced down at his foot. “I could never quit on Stride, mother. Especially not now, when the club needs all the support I can give it.” He met her gaze again and offered another smile, this one a little brighter. “Besides, it’s the only thing I love to do. It’d be wrong if I joined any other club.”

The woman couldn’t help but offer her son a smile of her own. “Alright, Heath. As long as you’re sure.” She said, and he nodded. Then, she left him to his own devices, and, knowing she was sufficiently sated, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and struggled back up the stairs.

* * *

Back in class did not necessarily mean happy in class, Heath realized. While his crutches presented enough challenges on their own, the real kicker was the wild rumors that had spread about Stride faster than a fanned flame. As he made his way throughout the hustle of school life and tried to readjust, Heath realized that the school was alive with chatter concerning the EOS events.

Most of these rumors revolved around ‘evil Kuga’ and ‘poor Hasekura’, which Heath absolutely despised. If he could have jumped from his seat and defended Kyosuke to the last, he would have. Unfortunately, he couldn’t jump at all, let alone stand up straight and give these peers of his a good piece of his mind… even if he wanted to (he did), Kyosuke would not have been pleased to have all their hard work destroyed due to Heath’s hot-headedness.

_What a mess._ Well, at least Kyosuke was supposed to return today. They agreed to meet behind some secluded building for lunch, so as not to be bothered by the whispers, but the silver-haired male was already so late… Heath doubted he’d come at all.

The first week after the incident, they’d remained close friends. Be it talking on the phone or Kyosuke’s frequent visits to the hospital, the two spent an unchecked amount of time together, unashamed of how it looked. But it got harder as a plan was set in motion--when Kyosuke quit Stride.

Week two came around and Hozumi, overprotective and angry and confused, began to try speaking for Heath. He often confronted Kyosuke when he came by while Heath was “sleeping”, asking the taller male why he’d done such a terrible thing. He even stormed from the room a few times, not daring to raise a hand against someone he’d considered a friend no matter how he wished he could. By Saturday of week two, Kyosuke had stopped visiting completely.

They resorted to texts and calls after Heath was discharged the following Monday, and Kyosuke told him many times that if the lie was to be convincing, sacrifices had to be made. Heath broke his phone the day he’d returned home, and although it had since been replaced, he was glad that his mother was not privy to the lie, as everyone else was. If she’d thought Kyosuke had hurt him, Heath would never be allowed to contact him again.

All in all, it was a very carefully constructed barrier. If the redheaded runner hadn’t been so miserable about all the deceit, he would have almost been impressed. From an outsider’s viewpoint, Heath hated Kyosuke. They were wrong, of course; behind the mask, he blamed no one except for himself.

_Maybe it’s better that Kyosuke isn’t here._

After all, it would be hard to face him when cynical thoughts weighed heavy on Heath’s mind, especially ones that pertained to the very thing he’d been told not to do: no matter what, he could not beat himself up over it.

Someone should have said that to his brain. He wasn’t sure it got the message.

* * *

_**Heath** _

_You stood me up._

 

_**Kyosuke** _

_I got home after school ended._

_It wasn’t intentional. Tomorrow, for sure, I’ll make it up to you._

 

Heath tried not to be extremely angry. Wherever Kyosuke had flitted off to, it was important for his mental well-being, and while he’d broken his promise, their friendship had to remain as inconspicuous as possible. It was a feat that they’d not already been found out.

No… the true feat was that Heath hadn’t gone off the deep end yet. Not being able to participate in gym, let alone Stride, was driving him stir crazy. He had to constantly count down the days until he could take his bandages off and begin physical therapy. As soon as the doctor gave the okay, he’d be running from the hospital, he swore it.

His phone buzzed, alerting him of a new message, and, thinking it was Kyosuke, Heath opened it without a second glance at the sender.

* * *

 

_**Hozumi** _

_I found a way to keep Stride open._

_Dan-sensei wants to close it down because we lack the member count we need, but I **(1/2)** _

_struck up a deal that I think you’ll like. **(2/2)** _

 

_**Heath** _

_What? Slow down, Hozumi._

_Dan-sensei wants to close Stride?_

_Why didn’t anyone say anything to me earlier?_

_I’ve been at school for three days!_

_It’s not like I can go very far! You know where to find me!_

 

_**Hozumi** _

_I know, I know._

_I’m sorry. I wanted to take care of the problem before it got too out of hand._

_I should have told you._

* * *

_Don’t be mad? Don’t be MAD?_ As if that made Heath’s anger any less profound. If anything, it seemed to rile him further. He opened his message thread with Kyosuke, fingers flying angrily across the keyboard as he ranted out his frustrations.

After only a short while, he found himself deleting the message. It wasn’t fair to Kyosuke to talk about Stride when only one of them would be allowed to participate in it from then on. Aside from that, Stride wasn’t Kyosuke’s problem any longer. He didn’t have to associate himself with the broken mess that had once been one of the busiest clubs on Honen’s campus.

_It’s all my fault._

The anger seeped from Heath’s mind, leaving only a sudden, overwhelming feeling of sadness behind. If he hadn’t gotten hurt. If he’d only done better. If he hadn’t been so concerned with winning. All the things he could have done better filled his head, and within moments, he was exhausted.

_It’s all my fault, and even if I recover, Stride will never be the same._

He didn’t care about the messages Hozumi was sending any longer. He didn’t feel motivated to talk about this plan with him. He just wanted to lay there and stare at the wall. Maybe until his foot healed. Maybe longer.

_It’s all my fault... If I’d only thought a little harder, none of this would have come about…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note about this chapter's time: Japanese High Schools usually have a four week summer vacation that comes in the middle of the year, rather than between grades. It's never really specified all that clearly, so I figure that the EOS tournament is set during the last week and a half to two weeks of summer vacation. Thus, Heath hurt his foot during the last week.
> 
> He took three weeks off of school to heal, this chapter begins the night before week four. The doctors released him after two weeks of healing.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks for taking the time to look at this story. I'm hoping that you will support me and continue to read, as it is my first. Special thanks to TheLeaderOfBloodIsAMaid for giving me the courage to start writing fanfiction again. I appreciate it, friend!
> 
> ~Melanie_March~


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